This week, as the wheel of the year turned again, I have been celebrating Bealtaine, the start of the summer. Waking at dawn on May 1st, in keeping with tradition, I washed my face with morning dew, and later gathered May wildflowers, to share and to savour. The customs are like umbilical cords to roots and ways which nourish. There is a risk however of thinking it is just a nostalgic nod to the past, but, as I saw played out in the Salon I hosted last night, it also has everything to do with how we are alive and attentive to what is unfolding in the world and in ourselves. Candles lit, as we gathered around the symbolic Bealtaine fire, stretching across the oceans and continents between us, from Ireland, US, UK, France, Greece, Canada, we were witness to the power of words, poetry, story, myth and wonder to bring strangers into dialogue, and open all our hearts to the depth of its own mystery.
Towards the end of the Salon, I shared a poem, fresh out of my own pen earlier in the day, which I was one of those poems which literally arrived to me, so much so that it didn’t feel like my words at all. After reading, I invited participants into the realm of their own creative imagination, to enter their own ‘Fifth Province’. The Fifth Province is a gap in a large glacial erratic stone at Uisneach, the central ceremonial site in the celebrations of Bealtaine, which also is said to be a threshold into the ‘otherworld’ of imagination and mystery. I have written more about this ‘Stone of Divisions’ in my previous post which you can read here.
So, for this week’s retreat, I am extending that creative invitation. You can listen to it in the recording, alongside my reading of the poem. And, then, in your own time, find your way to the Stone of Divisions in your own imagination, to enter into the place of all that might unfold.
The Fifth Province.
I drew a circle of ink on the page, and it sparkled:
a black hole of possibility,
light dense in the unknowing strength of
what it too might become.
The blank page is the universe.
I’ll write a love story there,
of how we found our way
back to the fifth province.
I’ll lay a table there,
a place for imagination,
a place for soul,
a setting for the lonely wanderer,
an empty seat for those not yet even born.
In the fifth province,
there are invites to our guests.
Empathy sits beside Compassion, sharing a plate
with a stranger.
Listening sits quietly, holding the hand of Bearing Witness.
Grief feels accompanied by Tenderness,
and Love is dancing on the table, reaching out to Joy to join them.
At the head of the table, Hope is not sitting still.
She is climbing on a wild white horse,
mane in hand, galloping forward,
iInk glistening in her mouth, speaking myth,
leaving a trail of stars behind her.
Bealtaine, 2 May 2025
Clare Mulvany.
It totally blew me away what unfolded in the Salon- the words, the tenderness, the care, and I leave so very grateful for these old wisdoms that are helping to weave new paths.
Bealtaine Guidebook
I created a special Guidebook for Bealtaine- a series of more prompts and creative ritual. Wild Edge Members have it included (see last post for access). I’ve had beautiful messages from people who have said it has give them much needed space for pause, reflection and joy. If you want to purchase it separately however, you can do so here.
Lovely happenings on The Wild Edge in May. These are for paid members. Membership is €8 per month/ €80 for the year.
Owl Hours.
There will be lots of gathering in creative circle, with a host of Owl Hours. Maybe you want to work on a book, a piece of writing, a creative project you have in mind. The Owl Hours help us feel less alone in our endeavours. All welcome.
8 May, Thursday 8-9pm GMT +1 (Irish time): Owl Hour
15 May, Thursday 8-9pm GMT+1 (Irish time): Owl Hour
29 May, Thursday 8-9pm GMT+1 (Irish time): Owl Hour
Writing Sanctuary.
And on Sunday 11 May, we have our bi-monthly writing Sanctuary together. This is an hour of guided journaling and reflective practice.
11 May, Sunday, 6-7pm GMT + 1 (Irish time): Writing Sanctuary.
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